Memo: DoD Program Managers Can Talk Sequestration with Contractors

The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer has given program managers the OK to begin discussions with contractors about how billions of dollars in spending cuts could impact acquisition programs.

Frank Kendall, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, sent the guidance in a Feb. 21 memo, obtained by Defense News.

The memo is the latest in a series of steps being taken by the Defense Department in advance of across-the-board defense spending cuts know as sequestration. These cuts, which amount to about $46 billion in 2013, will be triggered on March 1, barring congressional intervention.

In the missive, Kendall stresses the need to “keep industry informed about our plans and involved in our decision-making process to the maximum extent possible, particularly when ongoing or upcoming contracts may be affected” by sequestration.